Going Home
As it is summertime in 2024, many of us are taking vacations, students are on summer break for several months, and I know that many of us have been traveling a lot.
I pray that you all enjoy your time and make new friends as you travel to different destinations.
After my summer assignment ends on July 21st at our Parish, St. Timothy, I am going home this summer to visit my family in Vietnam. The journey will take me around 30 hours. This trip is much better than my previous trip to go home in 2022.
I remember that I had planned to visit my family in the summer of 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I couldn't go. I then planned to visit the following year, but the pandemic was still ongoing. In the summer of 2022, I took a course in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at St. Paul’s hospital in Saskatoon for two and a half months. After completing the course, I finally went home. The journey involved flying from Saskatoon to Calgary, then from Calgary to Winnipeg, from Winnipeg to Vancouver, from Vancouver to Tokyo, Japan, from Tokyo to Saigon, South Vietnam, and finally from Saigon to Hue city, my hometown. Although I was very tired, seeing my family made me forget all the hardships and fatigue.
It took me a whole week to realize that I was finally home, as it felt like a dream to see my family after four years. Every morning, waking up and seeing my family beside me made me happy. My mother once said to me, "I could endure any difficulties in life if I could see all my children come home safe and sound," as her children are scattered around the world. I promised myself that I will be a good son to my parents, a good brother to my siblings, and a good person to those whom I encounter, as I want my parents to be happy in this life.
Before coming to Canada, my grandma said to me, "Grandson, when you retire, please come home." I replied, "Grandma, please, I am not a priest yet. How can I think of my retirement plan so early?" She then offered to give me her house if I promised to come home when I retire. I said, "I cannot promise, grandma, but many of my cousins are in need, you know. Maybe, you should leave it to one of them."
My parents’ house is my home in this world, where I can come to receive the love of my family members. There is also a home in heaven where Our God is waiting for us to come and enjoy His love.
Finally, we believe that we are all going to our true home, the heavens, where we will encounter God face to face. We know that on the way, we sometimes face hardships, and the journey is sometimes tiring, but we are invited to keep going and prepare ourselves to be worthy of God’s love, to be happy and joyful to receive His love, and abide in Him.
God bless you and your families!
Peace,
Peter Tran